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Core Portion of the Comprehensive Exam Retake Policy
Date Approved: 9/04-College of Public Health
10/04-USF Graduate Council Subcommittee
10/18/04- Fully Approved by the Graduate Council
Date Implemented: 10/18/04
Date Amended: 11/27/07
The comprehensive exam is one of the major ways the College provides a culminating experience for students. This exam provides a mechanism to ensure that the core principles of public health have been mastered. It is our policy that students who fail the subject/s of the core portion of the comprehensive exam will be allowed to retake the exam for the failed subject/s. A student who retakes one or more subject/s and fails a second time will be required to retake the core course/s pertaining to the failed subject/s and pass the course/s with a minimum of a B (80-89%). The student may then retake the failed subject/s of the core portion of the comprehensive exam a third and final time. The student must complete the exam retake following completion of the course/s and must PASS on that administration. If the student fails a third time, the College has the authority to dismiss the student from the program.
Students do have the opportunity to enroll in the public health capstone course which includes taking the core comprehensive examination. A student who receives a passing grade of C or higher in the capstone course will be considered as having met the core comprehensive exam requirement.
Use of “c” in Degree Acronyms for Degree Candidates
The College of Public Health does not permit students who are pursuing their masters or doctoral degrees to use the degree acronym after their names and a small “c” for candidate. In other words students are not permitted to use MPHc, MSPHc, MHAc or PhDc. If students, after successfully completing all comprehensive exams (core and concentration) for the master degrees or the qualifying exam for the doctoral degree wish to put their name followed by the words—master degree candidate or doctoral degree candidate-- this is allowed.
The reason for this is that the use of the degree acronym and small “c” causes confusion for faculty, employers, and other individuals who are reviewing students’ CVs and other materials. It creates the situation whereby a student appears to already have the degree when this is not the case. As a degree-granting College, this cannot be allowed.